NFPA's "Fire Sprinkler Initiative: Bringing Safety Home" provides resources for the fire service and other sprinkler advocates who want to demonstrate the need for home fire sprinklers in their community.

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"NFPA understand the importance of having its documents available in other languages, and continues to dedicate resources to facilitate the use of its documents by governments around the world," states Figueroa. "Some of the challenges related to the use of automatic sprinkler systems in the U.S. exist elsewhere, but we are currently experiencing forward momentum in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where there has been an increase in the installation of sprinkler systems."

Essex Assistant Chief Fire Officer Paul Hill told BBC that the project would save lives. The authority is coordinating with councils and housing associations to identify properties deemed at high risk of fire. They include “those housing vulnerable adults or children, high-rise premises and properties that have existing problems in achieving fire safety.”

Properties that could benefit include those with a previous history of fire, such as Felmores estate in Basildon. According to the article Felmores estate “has been hit by 10 fires in 10 years and the most recent saw two women rescued from a flat in July.”

Chief Hill said: "Fire deaths have almost been eliminated in buildings that have a sprinkler system fitted and maintained properly... so they are hugely effective." He added that fire services have been lobbying for sprinklers to be fitted in all new homes in England, which already happens in Wales.

06/24/2013

"As most deaths occur in the home, why would we not want to take proven technology and apply that?"

On the international news front, NFPA President Jim Shannon recently participated in a home fire sprinkler debate, held in London, England, by the Worshipful Company of Firefighters. The battle for the installation of fire sprinklers in all new homes is also raging across the pond.

A motion presented to delegates read: “This house supports the case for the installation of sprinklers in all new homes.” Mr. Shannon spoke for the motion; speaking against was Jonathon O'Neill, Managing Director of the U.K.'s Fire Protection Association.

Excerpts from the debate were published by the U.K. Fire Protection Association's publication
Fire Magazine; some of which follow:

"The case for sprinklers in all new homes is so compelling it is beyond dispute for reasonable people," said Mr Shannon. "This last generation has seen great progress in fire prevention. In 1978, 9,000 people died in fires," he reported. "We have worked assiduously to reduce that to 2,500-3,000 people a year. But is that good enough? Should we continue doing what we've done or should we create new strategies? As most deaths occur in the home, why would we not want to take proven technology and apply that?"

Mr. Shannon sought to dispel home fire sprinkler myths and concluded with the rallying cry: "The time for us to do the right thing is now!"

06/17/2013

According to TheStar.com, Vaughan, Ontario developer Tony Guglietti, president of Townwood Homes has been including innovative features in an estimated 10,000 homes he has built during the past 40 years; but after he watched his 26 year old house burn to the ground, he decided to install fire sprinkler systems in all of his new projects.

Recently unveiled McKenzie Ridge Terraces will include 136 executive townhomes and six semi-detached single family homes. They are the first production (spec) home project to include fire sprinklers as a standard feature in Ontario. The homebuilder added that the fire sprinklers did not increase the sale price of the homes.

The article quotes Mr. Guglietti: “I was so shocked at what an overwhelming feeling it is to see your home destroyed by fire. I knew right then that I was going to include a sprinkler system in my own new home.” He has also decided to make fire safety history by being the first production home developer to protect his home buyers with fire sprinklers.

A press conference to make the announcement, covered by Global News included a side-by-side live burn demonstration to show the life safety and property protection benefits of home fire sprinklers.

Co-operators Insurance will offer buyers of McKenzie Ridge Terraces a minimum ten-percent discount on their insurance policies because of the fire sprinkler system.

03/28/2013

The British Automatic Sprinkler Association (BASA) announces that Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Authority (DFRA) has supported a proposal to promote safer houses for residents of communities within Derbyshire by providing £200,000 (more than $300,000 USD) funding towards the retrofitting of domestic sprinklers and installing them in new developments identified for vulnerable persons at risk to fire.

This was based on the criteria that £20,000 (more than $30,000) would be offered to each Council, Borough/District, or Housing Association, on the basis that it would be match-funded by them up to the same amount. Nine community councils have committed to implementing the program.

12/12/2012

Citing NFPA’s statistics on the life safety and property protection benefits of fire sprinklers The Co-Operators General Insurance Company, the largest Canadian-owned insurance business in Canada, has introduced a homeowners' insurance discount for homes protected with fire sprinklers. Clients of Co-operators may be eligible for a discount of 10 per cent.

The company asserts this is part of its ongoing efforts to advocate for the installation of fire sprinklers in residences. "Fire sprinklers really should be included in all new houses as they're being built," said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. "We know that they make a home much safer, and that is what our discount acknowledges." The company has called on governments to make fire sprinklers mandatory in all new homes in Canada.

The company is also sponsoring a three-year study by the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Research Centre, which is investigating the consequences and health-care costs of house fires in Canada; and the potential impact sprinklers could have. The study launched with a side-by-side burn demonstration with participation from the Guelph Fire Department and narrated by NFPA’s Sean Tracey.

11/14/2012

Elie van Strien, Chief Fire Officer of Amsterdam and Region, addressed the attendees of NFPA's 2012 EuroCon in Amsterdam this morning. The Netherlands Fire Brigade covers 415 municipalities, 16.5 million people, 41.500 km2 of area, 19% of which is water. The Chief said he was honored to have NFPA here during the 300th anniversary celebration of Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712), the founder of the Amsterdam fire brigade, inventor of fire pumps and valves used in the Netherlands, a painter and the person responsible for the installation of street lighting that lead to the city's famous night life.

Admittedly embarrassed that his country's regulations do not require sprinklers, except in cases where there is no other option for protection by engineering design or construction (early thought was that stone construction was sufficient protection), Chief van Strien sees many pressures that are driving change toward the installation both commercial and residential sprinklers:

Artificial/manufactured building materials leading to shorter flashover times.

11/28/2011

Fire sprinklers can save lives and should be put in all new home construction, says Des Prichard, Chief Fire Officer of the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. According to a report in the Eastbourne Herald, Chief Prichard has given his full support to the National Fire Sprinkler Network which is appealing for fire sprinklers to be fitted in all new-build residential properties.

The National Fire Sprinkler Network is a non-profit organisation, which works in partnership with all of the UK’s Fire & Rescue Services along with local, national and European governments. Its objective is to stop unwanted and unnecessary deaths and injuries from fires in domestic properties by having automatic fire sprinkler protection systems installed in all new-build properties.

In Wales, legislation requiring the inclusion of domestic sprinkler systems in all new-build residential properties was passed unanimously and received Royal Assent in April 2011. Now, the National Fire Sprinkler Network wants this extended to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Prichard said, “Fire does not discriminate. It can happen to anyone at any time and has a devastating effect on families and communities.